Love beyond the mask (Whitney)



After hearing the message relayed by Myra, Florence Sheldon's demeanor shifted, her gaze turning frosty as she faced Florence. "Ms. Sheldon, the caller identified herself as Elaine. She claims to have information of interest to you and suggests you'd do well to get in touch."

"Elaine?" Florence's expression chilled further; she had never had dealings with Elaine before. Was there a veiled threat in her words?

At the hospital.

Dr. Whitney Harper was meticulously examining Natalie, combining various tests and monitoring data. "You're severely anemic?"

The signs were alarming. Natalie's pulse was weak, and the pallor in her eyes suggested a serious lack of blood support, a condition that in simpler terms meant her body was failing to produce enough new blood.

Natalie shook her head, her voice weak. "I don't know what's wrong with me. Lately, I've been experiencing nosebleeds, vomiting, frequent fainting spells, coughing up blood, and my hair has begun to fall out..."

Whitney's brow furrowed; these symptoms were alarmingly indicative of cancer.

"Have you received any blood transfusions recently?"

Natalie hesitated, "I'm not sure. Ludwik has kept things from me, instructing the doctors not to disclose any details. I'm in the dark about my treatments; the last thing I remember is being put under anesthesia two days ago. When I woke up, I felt much stronger, as if I had regained some of my energy."

Whitney was deep in thought. Blood transfusions were akin to replenishing the body's nutrition, but why would Natalie need one if she hadn't suffered significant blood loss? It pointed to a more serious condition - her bone marrow might have stopped producing blood.

"I'd like to check your spine, if that's okay?"

Natalie nodded, turning over to allow Whitney to lift her shirt gently. There, on her spine, were small puncture wounds, different and much smaller than the ones Whitney had found before.

"Has Dr. Ford examined your spine recently?"

"Yes," Natalie remembered painfully, "the bone marrow extraction was excruciating. I was bedridden for days."

It was becoming clear to Whitney; Natalie's life was at risk due to a blood disorder. Florence might have been a blood donor, or in a more dire scenario, a bone marrow donor if Natalie had leukemia.

Was Ludwik involved with Florence purely out of necessity, for Natalie's sake?

A headache started to form as Whitney pieced the puzzle together. Natalie had awakened from a vegetative state only to suddenly fall victim to a blood disease?

Exiting Natalie's room, Whitney sought her treatment records, which suspiciously seemed to have disappeared from both the nurse's station and the doctor's offices.

Her next step was to confront the attending physician, Dr. Ford.

"Ms. Valentine, you have no right to pry into Natalie's private medical issues," Dr. Ford stated, refusing to divulge any information, which only fueled Whitney's suspicions further.

"Is it a spinal disease, then?" Whitney pressed, her tone both polite and assertive.

Dr. Ford's reaction, a mix of surprise and discomfort, confirmed her suspicions. Despite his refusal to discuss Natalie's condition further, Whitney was determined to find answers.

Later that evening, as night descended, Tiana invited Whitney to dinner, where Whitney, lost in

thought, decided it was time to

confront Elaine directly.

"I think I'll pay Elaine a visit tonight," Whitney said, her mind racing with questions.

Tiana, supportive as ever,novelbin

immediately offered to contact

Valerie to distract Ashton, ensuring

Whitney could have her

confrontation with Elaine and

vel.n

hopefully, uncover the truth behind

Natalie's sudden illness.

As they planned their next steps, the weight of the situation hung heavily between them, both women determined to fight for Natalie's well-being. When Whitney arrived at the hospital where Elaine was being held, she was surprised to run into two cops.

"We're here on behalf of Mr. Doonan," they introduced themselves to Whitney. "He heard you're looking for Elaine and sent us to back you up." Whitney was taken aback. Through Parker, she couldn't help but think of Ludwik.

Parker had mentioned that Ludwik was in the know and suspected Florence.

So, were these cops sent by him? Was he supporting her quest to confront Elaine?

Her emotions were a whirlwind, especially because of Sammy. She and Sammy had become allies in strength.

Composing herself, Whitney barged into Elaine's room.

Elaine had just finished her dinner. The look in her eyes upon seeing Whitney wasn't one of surprise.

The word had reached Elaine that Whitney was in Banyan City. After some digging around Ashton, she knew Whitney was coming for her. Then, she had Delphine pull some strings to find out about the happenings in Emperor City, only to learn Whitney suspected Florence of kidnapping Sammy.

How amusing.

She managed to reach out to Florence, and their 'deal' was struck.

Confident, Elaine wasn't intimidated by Whitney, nor by the two cops accompanying her.

"Arrest her!" Whitney commanded.

The cops swiftly handcuffed Elaine, then signaled to Whitney, "Ms. Valentine, you can question her as you see fit. We'll be outside. Just be careful." "Tiana, bring in the security," Whitney ordered.

At her command, two bodyguards entered the room and each landed a slap on Elaine's face.

Wincing in pain, Elaine burst into tears, "Whitney, what's wrong with you? Did you come here just to hit me?"